Scheduling between digital projection and film projection corresponding to a predetermined condition

ABSTRACT

A method is described for scheduling a playlist from digital content supplied to a server in a multi-screen digital cinema theater. The playlist includes digital content stored in the server and that is subsequently projected in the digital cinema theater. The method includes: (a) generating and displaying a table of playlists currently available for scheduling; (b) generating and displaying a schedule table showing a schedule view for each screen as an elongated timeline bar representing a time dimension. The method further includes: (c) selecting a playlist from the table of playlists and specifying a scheduled start time and a selected screen; and (d) updating the schedule table by inserting the selected playlist as an elongated element into the elongated timeline bar for the selected screen, whereby the updated schedule table is used to schedule the selected playlist for the selected screen.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO REALTED APPLICATION(S)

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/309,867, filedDec. 4, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,812,994 by Bubie et al., and entitled“Streamlined Methods and Systems for Scheduling and Handling DigitalCinema Content in a Multi-Theatre Environment”, wherein this priorapplication is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is related to the field of digital cinema, and moreparticularly to the preparation, scheduling and use of digitized motionpicture information in a multi-theater environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today, motion pictures—from feature films, to film based commercials—aredistributed and exhibited largely in the form of film. Studios producefilm masters, and distributors produce film copies that are thendistributed to theatres for exhibition. In the theatre, especiallymulti-screen ‘cineplexes’, incoming films need to be scheduled forexhibition. Specifically, the theatre home office and the theatremanager determine the auditorium and show times for a particular film. Aschedule is compiled, usually describing the theatre exhibition plan for1–2 weeks, or until a new feature is acquired. Executing a scheduletypically entails moving huge rolls of film from one projector stationto another station; preparing the new feature showing by splicingseparate reels of film together, adding film trailers and ‘rollingadvertisements’ to the beginning. Overall, it is a labor-intensiveprocess.

There have been attempts in the prior art to automate the control ofmovie display electronics in a film cinema system. For instance, in U.S.Pat. No. 6,384,893 B1, which is entitled “Cinema Networking System” andwas issued May 7, 2002, such a system includes a cinema controller whichreceives as input, information regarding start times of movies andcontent of corresponding film reels. The information can be input avariety of ways. In one embodiment, the information is manually enteredinto a file or database for subsequent reference. The publication shows(FIG. 4) an entry form that may be displayed. In this embodiment, anoperator enters, either via a keyboard and/or by using a cursor controldevice, a description of the content of the film reels including theduration and film format of each segment. In addition, a filmidentifier, such as the title, is supplied along with the times it is tobe played in a particular projection room. Other embodiments are alsocontemplated. For example, the information may be received or downloadedfrom a remote centralized location. Alternately, the information may beretrievable from a web site maintained to contain such information.

Over the last few years, the digitization of film has become very commonfor the purpose of integrating computer-generated special effects inscene content. Digitized content turns out to be much easier to handle,from the point of view of making copies, storing, distributing, and‘touching up’. A natural outgrowth of digital special effects work isthe attempt to carry the digitized content through postproduction, ontodistribution and exhibition. Such a workflow is described in general as‘digital cinema’. Recent technological advances in storage, networkingand projection equipment are making digital cinema a genuinepossibility.

As described by S. A. Morley, in “Making Digital Cinema ActuallyHappen—What it Takes and Who's Going to Do It”, SMPTE 140^(th) TechnicalConference, Pasadena, Calif., Oct. 31, 1998, digital cinema provides anability to extend presentation capabilities beyond just showing movies.More specifically, a simple graphical computer interface can make screenscheduling easy, accurate and flexible for the theatre operator.Although no specific interface is described, Morley opines that by asimple drag-and-drop action on a PC in a theater manager's office, amovie can be scheduled to show at a certain time in a given auditoriumand with a defined set of trailers and promotions, which can be changedat each show time.

Avica Technology Corp. markets a Digital Cinema Manager product thatallows monitoring and control of storage server parameters by a theatremanager or engineering supervisor in a digital cinema environment.Security setting, playlist creation, content load-in and systemmaintenance functions can be accessed from local or network connections.Multiple servers can be monitored and controlled from a single terminal.Conversely, multiple management terminals may access an individualserver. The user interface provides creation of multi-event playlistsincluding features, trailers and promotions, and timeline based playlistmanagement for a single auditorium at a time.

Whether automating the scheduling of film cinema or digital cinemasystems, the prior art has come up short in providing a user-friendlyinterface, particularly in a multi-screen cineplex environment. What istherefore needed is an approach that leverages the flexibility providedby digital cinema without adding unnecessary complexity in thescheduling task.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of theproblems set forth above. Briefly summarized, according to one aspect ofthe present invention, a method is described for scheduling a playlistfrom digital content supplied to a server in a multi-screen digitalcinema theater, where the playlist includes components of the contentstored in the server and represents a digital entity that issubsequently projected in the digital cinema theater. The methodincludes the steps of: (a) generating and displaying a table ofplaylists currently available for scheduling, each playlist displayedalong with its run time; (b) generating and displaying a schedule tableshowing a schedule view for each screen as an elongated timeline barrepresenting a time dimension, wherein the elongated timeline bars for aplurality of the screens are arranged one adjacent the other relative toa displayed time axis to provide an overall perspective of the schedulesfor the screens of the theater; (c) selecting a playlist from the tableof playlists and specifying a scheduled start time and a selectedscreen; and (d) updating the schedule table by inserting the selectedplaylist as an elongated element into the elongated timeline bar for theselected screen, wherein the element starts at the scheduled start timeand has a time dimension corresponding to the run time of the selectedplaylist, whereby the updated schedule table is used to schedule theselected playlist for the selected screen.

In a further aspect of the invention, a digital cinema system isdescribed for exhibiting digital content supplied in a coded form to acentral content management server in a multi-screen digital cinematheatre having a plurality of auditoriums. The digital cinema systemincludes: a plurality of digital projectors for projecting digitalcontent in the plurality of auditoriums, each projector including adecoder for decoding the digital content into a device-dependent signalfor projection; a plurality of content player servers, each one devotedto a respective digital projector; and a local area network linking thecontent player servers to the central content management server and tothe digital projectors, whereby each digital projector is anetwork-enabled device that can communicate with any of the contentplayer servers to display digital content. In still a further aspect,the digital cinema system includes a cinema operating system forgenerating and scheduling playlists, each playlist including componentsof the content stored in the content management server and representinga digital entity that is subsequently projected in the digital cinema.

By counting the creating of playlists as a precursor to scheduling,there is the advantage that the need to physically handle, splice andset up large lengths of film is obviated.

These and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more clearly understood and appreciated from a reviewof the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments andappended claims, and by reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exhibition component of a digital cinemasystem, showing in particular a cinema operating system in accordancewith the invention.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial illustration of a scheduling context screen from agraphical user interface implemented by the cinema operating systemshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial illustration of the scheduling menus and controlsaccessible through the menu bar of the scheduling context screen shownin FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a pictorial illustration of a window showing playlistproperties, which is accessible through the scheduling context screenshown in FIG. 2 and the menu controls shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a pictorial illustration of a dialog box for scheduling aplaylist in the foreground of a schedule timeline shown in thescheduling context screen shown in FIG. 2, which is accessible throughthe scheduling context screen shown in FIG. 2 and the menu controlsshown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a pictorial illustration of a dialog box for scheduling a timeblock in a schedule timeline shown in the scheduling context screenshown in FIG. 2, which is accessible through the scheduling contextscreen shown in FIG. 2 and the menu controls shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a pictorial illustration of a dialog box for scheduling aplaylist in the background of a schedule timeline shown in thescheduling context screen shown in FIG. 2, which is accessible throughthe scheduling context screen shown in FIG. 2 and the menu controlsshown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a pictorial illustration of a dialog box for scheduling arolling ad in a schedule timeline shown in the scheduling context screenshown in FIG. 2, which is accessible through the scheduling contextscreen shown in FIG. 2 and the menu controls shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a pictorial illustration of a schedule view by month which isaccessible through the scheduling context screen shown in FIG. 2 and themenu controls shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a pictorial illustration of a window showing schedule itemproperties for a particular playlist on a particular day for aparticular screen, which is accessible through the scheduling contextscreen shown in FIG. 2 and the menu controls shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 11 is a pictorial illustration of the scheduling context screenshown in FIG. 2, which is filled out to show the schedule properties ona particular day for the theater.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an exhibition component of a digitalcinema system, showing in particular a further embodiment of a cinemaoperating system in accordance with a further aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Because digital image processing systems are well known, the presentdescription will be directed in particular to attributes forming partof, or cooperating more directly with, a method and system in accordancewith the present invention. Method and system attributes notspecifically shown or described herein may be selected from those knownin the art. In the following description, a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention would ordinarily be implemented as a software program,although those skilled in the art will readily recognize that theequivalent of such software may also be constructed in hardware. Giventhe method and system as described according to the invention in thefollowing materials, software not specifically shown, suggested ordescribed herein that is useful for implementation of the invention isconventional and within the ordinary skill in such arts. If theinvention is implemented as a computer program, the program may bestored in a conventional computer readable storage medium, which maycomprise, for example; magnetic storage media such as a magnetic disk(such as a floppy disk or a hard drive) or magnetic tape; opticalstorage media such as an optical disc, optical tape, or machine readablebar code; solid state electronic storage devices such as random accessmemory (RAM), or read only memory (ROM); or any other physical device ormedium employed to store a computer program.

A digital cinema system comprises a digital mastering center forgenerating digital content, such as from a feature film, a distributioncenter for transmitting the digital content, and a digital exhibitioncenter for projecting the content to audiences. The exhibition centerwill include, among its many parts, a projection system and a softwareapplication herein identified as the digital cinema operating system.The digital cinema operating system is a custom software solution thatsupports the loading, scheduling, control and playback of features,trailers and other pre-show content, such as slide shows andadvertising, on multiple digital cinema screens. While not a specificpart of this description, the digital cinema operating system willdownload decryption keys from studios to allow features to be playedback on digital projectors, and also controls automated theatreoperation such as lighting and sound systems. In the latter connection,the digital cinema operating system will typically interface withexisting, commercially-available control systems for such automatedtheatre operations.

Besides referring to the digital distribution and projection offirst-run movies, digital cinema has also been used to refer to thedigital distribution and projection of pre-show entertainment, includingcommercials, music videos and other content, ordinarily in connectionwith the showing of full-length feature motion picture films, perhapswith film trailers and the like. Thus, and as used herein in a preferredembodiment, the digital cinema operating system refers to an in-theaternetwork to receive, schedule, distribute and project advertising andother pre-show content as a digital entity preceding and/or following amotion picture film feature, as well as to an in-theater network toreceive, schedule, distribute and project full-length feature digitalcontent, often with digital trailers, advertising and other pre-show, orinter-show content, where all of the digital entities are combinedtogether as a single digital presentation. Furthermore, in anotherembodiment, as will be illustrated in FIG. 12, the schedulingfunctionality of the digital cinema operating system may be shared withother components of the digital cinema system, such as a central digitalcinema distribution facility or service, where it may be convenient toestablish an association between certain digital content, such asbetween certain ad or trailer content and specific feature content.

The digital cinema system is comprised of hardware and software (thedigital cinema operating system) that, when installed in a multi-screencineplex, can provide sophisticated digital cinema functionality.Referring to FIG. 1, the digital cinema system is comprised of:

-   -   a high storage capacity content management server 10 having a        server database 12 associated therewith;    -   one or more high resolution digital projectors 14 and/or high        resolution display screens 16, each projector and/or screen        connected to,    -   one or more specialized decoding processors 18 for decoding        compressed digital content that is downloaded from the content        management server 10 to one or more content player servers 20,        each content player server 20 connected to,    -   a local area network (LAN) 22 tying each of the content player        servers 20 to the content management server 10; and    -   a cinema operating system graphical user interface 24 used to        manage digital cinema content, schedule content, and in general        control the various components of the system, wherein the user        interface 24 interfaces with a high resolution display 26 to        implement the functional interface components 28 of the cinema        operating system.        As shown in FIG. 1, the cinema operating system operates in a        multi-screen cineplex environment featuring both digital and        film content shown in a plurality of auditoriums 30, each having        a screen 34 that is positioned to receive a projected image.        More specifically, the digital projectors 14 are used in one or        more auditoriums 30 (three being shown) to project a        digitally-obtained image upon the screens 34 and a film        projector 32 is used in at least one of the auditoriums 30 a to        project a film image upon a screen 34 a. In regard to film        projection, the cinema operating system may signal a        projectionist at an appropriate time to begin projection.        Alternatively, actual control of the film projector may be        integrated into the cinema operating system through the user        interface 24. Moreover, since digital content (such as ad        content) may be played before and/or after a motion picture        film, the film auditorium 30 a may also contain a digital        projector 14 connected as shown in broken line to the LAN 22        through a content player server 20 and a processor 18. A theatre        management system 36 may also be integrated into the cinema        operating system through the user interface 24, and it provides        automated control of lighting and sound systems, as well as        integrating with a ticket sales and advertising system.

The illustrated LAN connection 22 may be implemented with any suitablenetwork architecture, such as Ethernet. In practice, the processors 18(which in one embodiment may be a processor board/card added to thecontent player servers 20 instead of a separate component (18) as shownin FIG. 1) decode the image data into a device-dependent signal, such asRGB, suitable for driving the projectors 14. This means that theconnection between the processors 18 and the projectors 14 is adedicated off-network connection. If the decoder processor (18) isinstead embedded into the projectors 14, then the projectors 14 willbecome network devices capable of being driven directly off the LAN 22.As will be explained further in connection with FIG. 12, having theprojectors 14 as network devices has an added redundancy benefit sinceany given projector can be driven off any content server 20, thereforeproviding automatic backup in case the content server for a particularauditorium should go down.

The user interface 24 of the cinema operating system is designed to beoperated by a theatre manager and/or a lead projectionist or otherdesignated person, usually in the environment of their offices orworkspaces, such as a projection booth or for that matter any placeconnectable to the LAN 22. At the core of the cinema operating systemare the functional interface components 28, which in this embodimentinclude four functional components:

-   -   a content management function 38;    -   a playlist management function 40;    -   a scheduling function 42; and    -   an exhibition/playback monitoring function 44.        Under the content management function 38, the theatre manager or        another designated operator can load new digital content 46 to        the central server 10, and view, edit and delete the digital        content stored in the server database 12. Examples of content        are rolling ads (commercials), trailers (feature film previews)        and full features (feature films). Content generally comes,        e.g., from a studio, an advertising provider or the like, and is        intended to be exhibited for a contracted period of time.        Thereafter, the content is purged. While not a part of this        invention, the digital content 46 would typically be received        over a satellite connection, a terrestrial network, or physical        media such as a DVD that is delivered to the theater office.

Another key use of content is for the creation of playlists. A playlistis an ordered collection of one or more content files available from thecontent management server 10, and represents the content package that isscheduled into a particular auditorium at a particular time. In atotally digital environment, a playlist is analogous to the final reelof film that a projectionist prepares for exhibition, by splicingrolling ads and trailers to the main feature film. In a mixed digitaland film environment, the playlist is analogous to the spliced filmcomponents comprising the rolling ads and perhaps the trailers that arescheduled to precede the main feature film, or simply run between mainfeature films as, e.g., a digitized slide show. Under the playlistmanagement function 40, the theatre manager create can create, edit anddelete playlists. Having content at their core, playlists also have aspecific lifetime, after which they are purged. Accordingly, eachplaylist represents the digital entity that is subsequently projected,either through a projector in an auditorium 30, or on a display 16,e.g., in the theatre lobby.

Once the playlists are created, the theater manager or anotherdesignated person must schedule when and where the required playlistsare played. This is done in the scheduling function 42. The schedulesfor playlists to be exhibited are also tied to the theatre managementsystem 36, and specifically to the theater's ticketing system, whichalso provides show times to newspapers and other sources well in advanceof the scheduled showings. In the cinema operating system according tothe preferred embodiment, the function of scheduling is to program intothe system the start time and the auditorium in which each playlist willplay. When the scheduled time arrives, the cinema operating systemcontrols the starting and playback of the content represented within thedigital playlist. Finally, a monitoring function 44 provides the theatremanager and projectionist a means to view the current state of playlistplayback. The monitor user interface is similar to the scheduling userinterface set to the present time, in that the theatre manager can viewthe overall state of playback in the various auditoriums and on thevarious displays tied to the cinema operating system.

Referring to FIG. 2, the functional interface components (28) forcontent management 38, playlist management 40 and the schedulingfunction 42 are represented by respective tabs 50, 52 and 54. Clickingon the schedule tab 54 brings up a scheduling function context screen56, which specifies the workflow and user interface of the schedulingfunction 42 according to the invention, and provides access to themenus, controls and commands for the scheduling function 42. A menu bar58 provides access to certain menus and controls for the schedulingfunction 42, as further shown in FIG. 3, including alternative access tosome of the controls and commands provided by the context screen 56.

The compact layout of the scheduling function context screen 56 providesa view of the ‘free time’ and schedules for all or some of theauditoriums 30 and displays 16 tied to the cinema operating system. Thespecifics of the scheduling function context screen 56 include a panel(toolbar) 60 of buttons, a table 72 of playlists currently in thecontent management server 10, a drop-menu 74 of predefined views thatcontrol what is displayed in the table 72, and a schedule table 76 thatprovides scheduling information and controls for each of the auditoriums30 (and 30 a) and displays 16 that exhibit digital content. The scheduletable 76 shows, for each auditorium 30 (30 a) and lobby display 16, anelongated timeline bar 78 arranged as shown in FIG. 2 one adjacent theother in relation to a time axis grid 80 to reveal the schedule for eachauditorium 30 (30 a) and lobby display 16, both individually and fromthe overall perspective of the whole cineplex theater. Furthermore, aswill be noted in FIG. 2, certain auditoriums, i.e., auditoriums 1, 2 and3, are digital auditoriums, while auditorium 4 is a film auditorium.

The panel (toolbar) 60 of buttons, labeled with icons, identifiesfrequently used actions. As defined in the preferred embodiment, thesebuttons include: a magnify timeline button 62, a reduce timeline button64, a month view button 66, a show playlist properties button 68 and asave schedules button 70. The theatre manager can use the magnifytimeline button 62 and the reduce timeline button 64 to control thegranularity of the schedule view, that is, by adjusting magnificationsettings the time axis grid 80 is adjusted such that the view in theschedule table 76 encompasses all or some smaller portion of theexhibition schedule for the day. The show playlist properties button 68acts upon a currently selected playlist to show further properties ofthe selected playlist. The save schedules button 70 saves the results ofthe scheduling function into the server database 12. The month viewbutton 66 presents the schedule view by month, as shown in FIG. 9. Afeature of this view is that a schedule for a particular day in themonth can be replicated for other days of the month by dragging thecursor 82 across the month until the desired days are highlighted, asshown by the shaded selection area 84, then clicking on, or otherwisedesignating, the area (e.g., by a copy and paste operation). When thusinvoked, as shown in the example, the schedule for June 3 is replicatedfor June 4–6 and 10–13, and appears in the appropriate calendar blocksassociated with these dates. The area 84 a represents a portion of themonth where this feature was previously invoked. FIG. 9 also shows thatwhen the tool-tip of the cursor 82 is positioned over a particular day(June 17 in this example), a pop-up box 86 appears that reveals furtherinformation about the schedule, including the beginning time of eachplaylist within the schedule for the day.

The drop-menu 74 of predefined views, which controls what is displayedin the playlist table 72, includes several core views of the playlistsavailable from the content management server 10. These core viewsinclude, but are not limited to, showing: All (playlists), Not Scheduled(playlists), Scheduled (playlists), Playlists with Ads, Playlists withSlideshows, Playlists with Features, Playlists with Live Events, and soon. (A “slideshow” is a series of digital still images that arerepetitively displayed before and/or after the feature presentation andits associated ads and trailers. A “live event” is a live feed of acurrently happening event, such as a musical performance or a sportingevent.) In the playlist table 72, key attributes of the listed playlistsare shown, such as playlist title, run time, and the starting and endingdates for the playlist engagement; other information can be had byselecting a particular playlist (as depicted by the broken lineselection box 73 around the first playlist “Ad Pack-Week 23”) andapplying the toolbar button 68 for showing playlist properties, whichproduces the playlist properties window shown in FIG. 4. As showntherein, the selected playlist title “Ad Pack-Week 23” is comprised offive pieces of digital content, each shown with their content title,type, run time, rating and acquire date.

The schedule table 76 provides scheduling information and controls foreach of the auditoriums 30 (30 a) and displays 16 that exhibit digitalcontent. In the top left of the schedule table 76, the date is shown forwhich schedules are being viewed and managed. A set of three controls 88a, 88 b and 88 c are used to change the day/date of the schedule view.The left arrow 88 a changes the view to the previous day; the rightarrow 88 b changes the view to the next day, and the middle control 88 cbrings up a pop up calendar control (not shown) for the user to select aspecific day to view. In the left column 90 of the schedule table 76 arethe names of the auditoriums (screens) 30 (30 a) and displays 16 forwhich the theatre manager can develop a schedule. The names of thescreens can be defined and changed by the theatre manager, thusproviding for customization. By design, the screen names are alsolabeled by an index number, i.e., the numbers 1 to 7 as shown in FIG. 2.Each of the screen names can be selected; when one is selected, themonth view button 66 can be invoked and the theatre manager can viewfive weeks of schedule information, set for the selected screen, asshown in FIG. 9. The vertical control bar 92 a to the left of eachscreen's timeline 78 includes icons 92 b and 92 c for showing (icon 92b) or ‘collapsing’ or hiding (icon 92 c) the corresponding screen (e.g.,in FIG. 2, screen 5 is shown as hidden). By hiding one or more timelines78 this way, the theatre manager can visually bring normally separatedtimelines 78 closer together, to accommodate special scheduling tasks.The controls 92 b and 92 c are reversible; when clicked again, afterhiding a timeline, the timeline is re-presented and the schedule can beworked on.

The timeline for each of the screens is represented by the narrowtimeline bar 78, representing from left to right, the theatre day, i.e.,the hours on the time axis grid 80 during which content can be exhibitedin the theatre. Before a schedule is generated, the timeline 78 isrepresented by an open space 94, as shown for auditorium 2 in FIG. 2(which is closed). As a schedule is generated, there are two types ofscheduling elements that may reside in the timeline bar: one is referredto as a “block” and the other as a “time block”. The block, e.g., theblock 96 in the auditorium 3, represents a period of time in which aplaylist is scheduled to play, while the time block, e.g., the block 98in auditorium 4, represents a period of time that the schedule timelineis busy with some other activity (typically a non-digital activity, suchas film projection), during which a block should not be scheduled. (Itshould be understood that the use of a block is a matter of convenienceand preferred usage and presentation; other elongated timeline elements,such as a line, could be used instead.) The timeline is also separatedinto a background and a foreground. The background represents any timein the timeline that is available for scheduling; the foregroundrepresents a period of time within which a playlist is scheduled tooverride the background.

The representation of blocks varies, according to the way a playlist isscheduled: a block 100 represents a background-scheduled playlist as a“block” stretched across the entire timeline. A playlist scheduled inthe background can play repeatedly. A block 102 represents a playlistscheduled as a rolling ad. A rolling ad playlist has the property ofbeing attached to a feature playlist of a time block. The consequence ofthis property is that if the feature playlist or time block isrescheduled, the rolling ad is automatically rescheduled, so that itstands to play before the feature playlist or time block. As mentionedbefore, the block 98 represents a time block, which is a period of timethat the schedule timeline is busy. An example of its use is to blockoff time that the digital projector does not project content, allowinginstead, the projection of film-based content. As shown in FIG. 11,scheduled playlists and time blocks are labeled for easy identification,directly in the block, and in a tooltip tag 104 when the cursor 82hovers over the block. At the bottom of the screen is a status messageline 106. It is used to feedback results of user actions, such as therescheduling of a playlist, the addition of a new playlist, and soforth.

The user interface shown in FIG. 2 is used for several different typesof scheduling, including foreground scheduling, background scheduling,time block scheduling, and rolling ad scheduling. Each type ofscheduling will now be discussed in more detail, further including therelated matters of scheduling by film booking number and adjusting theschedules.

Foreground scheduling. To schedule a playlist in the foreground, thetheatre manager selects an appropriate playlist from the playlist table72, and selects either ‘Add to Timeline’ from the tools menu (FIG. 2),or clicks the add to timeline control button 108. This initial actionopens a dialog box for the theatre manager to enter specific schedulinginformation, as shown in FIG. 5. After entering valid schedulinginformation, the schedule table 76 is updated, showing the newlyscheduled playlist as a timeline block 96, on the specified screen'stimeline.

Background scheduling. To schedule a playlist in the background, thetheatre manager selects an appropriate playlist from the playlist table72 and selects ‘Schedule in Background’ from the tools menu (FIG. 2).This action opens a dialog box for the theatre manager to enter specificscheduling information, as shown in FIG. 7. After entering validscheduling information, the schedule table 76 is updated. If only onescreen is specified in the scheduling dialog, then a new backgroundblock 100 appears in the timeline of that screen. If more than onescreen is specified in the scheduling dialog, then replicas of thebackground block 100 appear in timelines of the associated screens.

Time Block scheduling: Scheduling a time block basically establishes inthe cinema operating system that at the scheduled time and for thespecified duration, the specified digital projector 14 tied to aparticular screen, or the specified digital monitor 16 will not playback content. One purpose for this functionality is to schedule a timeblock 98 that the digital projector/system will ‘stand by’, while, inparallel, a film content is played/projected. Tied to this use of timeblocks, is the capability of switching between digital projection andfilm projection. This capability is based on “event tags”, that arepurposefully integrated in playlists, in or between content items in theplaylist. An example of an “event tag” is an automation cue integratedinto a playlist to enable an audio format switch to occur betweendigital ad content and feature film content, such as from a lesserfeatured sound presentation to a surround sound Dolby™ presentation.

To schedule a time block 98, the theatre manager selects ‘Schedule TimeBlock’ from the tools menu (FIG. 2). This action opens a dialog box forthe theatre manager to enter specific information, as shown in FIG. 6.The dialog is designed such that the theatre manager can enter a seriesof time blocks to the schedule, for a given day, without closing andreopening the dialog box. After clicking “Apply” in the dialog box, theschedule table 76 is updated, showing the newly scheduled time block 98on the specified screens' timeline.

Rolling Ad Scheduling: Rolling ads as content can be embedded at thestart of a feature (movie) playlist, and thus, be scheduled in a typicalforeground process. In theatres that exhibit digital ads in combinationwith features on film, rolling ads are scheduled as stand aloneplaylists. The basic goal of scheduling a stand-alone rolling ad is toensure that it plays immediately before the start of a scheduled featureplaylist or time block. The cinema operating system provides a means ofautomatically ensuring this type of scheduling. The theatre managerselects an appropriate rolling ad playlist from the playlist table 72and selects ‘Schedule Rolling Ad’ from the tools menu (FIG. 2). Thisaction opens a dialog box for the theatre manager to enter specificscheduling information, as shown in FIG. 8. Note that the currentschedule date (or in some cases, start time) input in the dialog box isthe earliest date (time) that the selected rolling ad is to bescheduled. After entering valid scheduling information, the scheduletable 76 is updated.

The scheduled rolling ad is automatically replicated and placed as ablock 102 immediately before every feature-containing block and/or timeblock in the specified timelines. Being essentially attached to a timeblock or feature playlist, a rolling ad is automatically rescheduled ifits corresponding time block or feature playlist schedule is adjusted.Besides rolling ads, any particular playlist, e.g., a backgroundplaylist, can be associated with a feature (movie) playlist or attachedto a time block, and automatically rescheduled if its corresponding timeblock or feature playlist schedule is adjusted.

Scheduling by a Unique Film Identification Number: A variation on theprocess of scheduling a rolling ad is to schedule by a unique filmidentification number, e.g., a number similar to a film booking number(FBN). A film booking number is a unique number, assigned at the timethe content is created in the theatre. This method of scheduling allowsrolling ad exhibition to be targeted with particular features. Toschedule by a unique film identification number, the theatre managerselects an appropriate rolling ad playlist from the playlist table 72,and selects ‘Schedule Rolling Ad’ from the tools menu (FIG. 2).

Adjusting Schedules: The cinema operating system provides various waysto adjust the schedules of items. In general, blocks on a timeline canbe individually selected and managed. The basic way to reschedule anitem is to re-open the scheduling dialog box of a selected scheduledplaylist, and enter new parameters. Re-opening the scheduling dialog boxis by double-clicking the scheduled playlist. Other ways of adjustingare sliding, stretching and dragging.

FIG. 12 shows an alternative embodiment of the digital cinema system,where components similar to those shown in FIG. 1 have similar referencecharacters and descriptions, and generally will not be further describedhere. One exception is the LAN 22, which is embodied here as a networkswitch 22′ specifically (but without limitation) for an Ethernet LANapplication. In FIG. 12, the digital content would typically be receivedfrom several digital sources, including from a satellite receiver 110,over a terrestrial network 112, or as physical media 114 such as a DVDthat is delivered to the theater office. As shown, the satellite networkmay handle both prerecorded digital content (including ads, trailers,slide shows, features (movies) and the like) received from any of theabove sources, and live digital content from, e.g., live musicalperformances, live sporting events, and the like, that is received fromthe satellite receiver 110.

Live digital content from the satellite receiver 110, which may be inMPEG or any other suitable well-known data format, is split by an L bandsplitter 118 and decompressed by one or more high definition (HD)decoders 120 and transmitted to the projectors 14 in accordance with theSociety for Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) 292protocol, which is a well-known high definition standard for digitaltransmission. Note also that live event data can be streamed from the HDdecoders 120 through the LAN network switch 22′, from which it may bealternatively fed through the LAN to any of the projectors 14. Forsatellite reception of live performances, the live digital content isrouted through a conditional access stage 116. The transmissionprotocols for the live performances may prescribe an encrypted link thatis decrypted in the conditional access stage 116 by a key provided overthe LAN through the network switch 22′ from the local cinema operatingsystem.

In the case of satellite reception of prerecorded digital content, thedigital content is routed through (or bypasses) the conditional accessstage 116 (which does not perform any data decryption) and the L bandsplitter 118 to an edge media router 122, which stores and forwards thedigital content to the content management server 10 and the archive 12through the network switch 22′. Digital content from the terrestrialnetwork 112 is routed through a firewall 124 into the network switch22′. In addition, the Ethernet LAN connects with an auditorium system126, which controls the lighting and other such functions in thetheater, and optionally to an audio system 128, which provides the audiofeed for the auditoriums. As mentioned earlier, one of the things thatis different here from FIG. 1 is that the decoding processor identifiedas component 18 in FIG. 1 is here embedded into the projectors 14, wherethe decoder processing performs both decompression and decryption of theprerecorded digital content data. If the decoder processor (18) isembedded into the projectors 14, then the projectors 14 become networkdevices capable of being driven directly off the Ethernet LAN 22. Havingthe projectors 14 as network devices has an added redundancy benefitsince any given projector can be driven off any content server 20,therefore providing automatic backup in case the content server for aparticular auditorium should go down.

FIG. 12 also shows that a central digital cinema distribution facilityor service 130 can provide content through a satellite link 132 to thesatellite receiver 110, through a terrestrial link 134 (e.g., theInternet) to the terrestrial network 112, or through a transportationlink 136 (e.g., UPS, FedEx, Postal Service, etc.) as physical media 114.In a further aspect of the invention, some or all of the functionalinterface components 28 (see FIG. 1) may be provided according to theinvention by the central digital cinema distribution facility 130through its own graphical user interface 138. In particular, playlistsmay be assembled at the central digital cinema distribution facility130, where the associations between the playlists and the features andfilms necessary to create a scheduling item may be established. Morespecifically, under the playlist management function 40, the facilitycan create, edit and delete specific playlists, especially playlists ofthe type (such as rolling ads) that are embedded at the start of afeature (movie) playlist and which will later be scheduled at thecineplex in a typical foreground process for a specific screen. For afilm, such playlists could be scheduled as stand alone playlistsassociated with a specific film by a unique film identification number(e.g., in certain cases, the aforementioned FBN).

Besides alleviating the need for local cineplex scheduling of certaincontent, e.g., rolling ads, the basic goal of such scheduling at thecentral digital cinema distribution facility 130 is to tie a specificplaylist to a specific feature playlist or time block during which afeature film is projected, therefore ensuring that the playlist runsimmediately before the start of a subsequently scheduled featureplaylist or time block. This can be significant because the distributormay want to ensure that a specific playlist (with, e.g., specific adcontent) should be tied to films/features having a specific rating,genre, or the like. Furthermore, advertising may be rationed to acertain number of screens (e.g., some ads to odd screens/other ads toeven screens, in a cineplex) depending on the advertising schedulereceived by the distributor, e.g., based on sliding scales ofadvertising charges/revenues proportioned to the number of screens orthe number of “eyes” viewing the content. In these situations,scheduling items established by the distributor may be carried asmeta-data that is associated with the digital content to the exhibitionlocation, where scheduling for specific screens will occur. Forinstance, the meta-data may be embedded into, or otherwise carried with,the digital content signal over any of the several aforementionedcommunication links, or the meta-data could be linked to specificfeature/film content by a unique identification number and transmittedseparately, e.g., over the Internet, through the terrestrial link 134 tothe LAN 22.

The invention has been described with reference to a preferredembodiment. However, it will be appreciated that variations andmodifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope of the invention.

PARTS LIST

-   10 content management server-   12 server database-   14 digital projector-   16 display screen-   18 decoding processor-   20 content player server-   22 local area network (LAN)-   22′ network switch-   24 graphical user interface-   26 high resolution display-   28 functional interface components-   30 auditorium-   30 a film auditorium-   32 film projector-   34 screen-   36 theater management system-   38 content management function-   40 playlist management function-   42 scheduling function-   44 exhibition/playback monitoring function-   46 digital content-   50 content management tab-   52 playlists management tab-   54 schedules function tab-   56 scheduling function context screen-   58 menu bar-   60 panel (toolbar) of buttons-   62 magnify timeline button-   64 reduce timeline button-   66 month view button-   68 show playlist properties button-   70 save schedules button-   72 playlist table-   74 drop-menu-   76 schedule table-   78 elongated timeline bar-   80 time grid-   82 cursor-   84 shaded selection area-   84 a selected area-   86 pop-up box-   88 a left arrow-   88 b right arrow-   88 c middle control-   90 left column-   92 a vertical control bar-   92 b show icon-   92 c hide icon-   94 open space-   96 block-   98 time block-   100 background scheduled playlist block-   102 rolling ad scheduled playlist block-   104 tooltip tag-   106 status message line-   108 add to timeline button-   110 satellite receiver-   112 terrestrial network-   114 physical media-   116 conditional access stage-   118 L band splitter-   120 high definition decoders-   122 edge media router-   124 firewall-   126 auditorium-   128 audio system-   130 central digital cinema distribution facility or service-   132 satellite link-   134 terrestrial link-   136 transportation link-   138 distribution facility user interface

1. A digital cinema system for exhibiting digital content supplied in acoded form to a central content management server in a multi-screendigital cinema theatre having a plurality of auditoriums, said systemcomprising: (a) plurality of digital projectors for projecting digitalcontent in the plurality of auditoriums, each projector including adecoder for decoding the digital content into a device-dependent signalfor projection; wherein at least one of the plurality of auditoriumsincludes a film projection system for projecting a motion picture filmduring a reserved time when the auditorium's digital projector isinactive, and wherein the cinema operating system generates a playlistfor scheduling digital projection of digital content in association withthe motion picture film, (b) a plurality of content player servers, eachone devoted to a respective digital projector; (c) a cinema operatingsystem for generating and scheduling playlists, each said playlistincluding components of the content stored in the content managementserver and representing a digital entity that is subsequently projectedin the digital cinema; (d) a local area network linking the contentplayer servers to the central content management server and to thedigital projectors, whereby each digital projector is a network-enableddevice that can communicate with any of the content player servers todisplay digital content associated with a selected playlist; and (e) anevent tag for switching between digital projection and film projectioncorresponding to a predetermined condition or cue.
 2. The digital cinemasystem claimed in claim 1, wherein in step (e), switching betweendigital projection and film projection includes a cueing means forcontrolling the digital projector corresponding to a signal from thefilm projector.
 3. The digital cinema system claimed in claim 1, whereina user interface includes a means for controlling the film projector. 4.The digital cinema system claimed in claim 3, wherein the user interfaceincludes a status message line that indicates operational scheduling ofboth film and digital projection systems.
 5. A computer program productcomprising a graphical user interface for scheduling a playlist fromdigital content supplied to a server in a multi-screen digital cinematheater, said playlist including components of the content stored in theserver and representing a digital entity that is subsequently projectedin the digital cinema theater, said computer program product comprising:a computer readable storage medium having a computer program storedthereon for performing the steps of: (a) generating and displaying atable of playlists currently available for scheduling, each playlistdisplayed along with its run time; (b) generating and displaying aschedule table showing a schedule view for each screen as an elongatedtimeline bar representing a time dimension, wherein the elongatedtimeline bars for a plurality of the screens are arranged one adjacentthe other relative to a displayed time axis to provide an overallperspective of the schedules for the screens of the theater; (c)enabling selection of a playlist from the table of playlists andspecification of a scheduled start time and a selected screen; (d)updating the schedule table by inserting the selected playlist as anelongated element into the elongated timeline bar for the selectedscreen, wherein the element starts at the scheduled start time and has atime dimension corresponding to the run time of the selected playlist,whereby the updated schedule table is used to schedule the selectedplaylist for the selected screen; and (e) switching between projectionof digital content and projection of feature content subject to apredetermined condition or cue.
 6. A method for generating andscheduling a playlist from digital content supplied to a server in amulti-screen cinema theater including one or more film projection sites,said playlist including components of the content stored in the serverand representing a digital entity that is subsequently projected in theprojection sites, said method comprising the steps of: (a) generatingplaylists including digital content for use in the film projectionsites; (b) generating and displaying a schedule table showing a schedulefor each projection site as an elongated timeline bar representing atime dimension, wherein the elongated timeline bar for each filmprojection site includes a reserved time for the projection of the film;(c) selecting a playlist and specifying a selected film projection site;(d) updating the schedule table by inserting the selected playlist as anelongated block into the elongated timeline bar for the selectedprojection site, wherein the block for the playlist starts isautomatically situated at the beginning of the reserved time forprojection of the film; and (e) switching between projection of digitalcontent and film projection subject to a predetermined condition or cue.7. A computer program product comprising a graphical user interface forgenerating and scheduling a playlist from digital content supplied to aserver in a multi-screen cinema theater including one or more filmprojection sites, said playlist including components of the contentstored in the server and representing a digital entity that issubsequently projected in the projection sites, said computer programproduct comprising: a computer readable storage medium having a computerprogram stored thereon for performing the steps of: (a) generatingplaylists including digital content for use in the film projectionsites; (b) generating and displaying a schedule table showing a schedulefor each projection site as an elongated timeline bar representing atime dimension, wherein the elongated timeline bar for each filmprojection site includes a reserved time for the projection of the film;(c) selecting a playlist and specifying a selected film projection site;(d) updating the schedule table by inserting the selected playlist as anelongated block into the elongated timeline bar for the selectedprojection site, wherein the block for the playlist starts isautomatically situated at the beginning of the reserved time forprojection of the film; and (e) switching between digital projection andfilm projection subject to a predetermined condition or cue.